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@@giglehart thank you! And thank you so much for taking the time to watch my little video and leave a comment … so very appreciated! 🙏🙏🙏

Oh my, thank you for that catch!!! It's MAISY! My 98 year old mom's name is Mae and my dad called here Maisy. She was thrilled to learn I had named the kiln after her. But no idea how I made that typo. I did take my Foredom diamond grinding tool to the bubbly bits and it was surface level, not the clay body. I'm thinking impurities in the unwashed ash that I used in the glaze. I washed the ash for the previous batch of glaze and didn't have any issues. The wild clay body held up amazingly well. Thanks again for the catch, feedback and following along as my little adventure continues!

Yes, I do via my online shop ... which is currently on hiatus for a few more days. I hope to have some new ones available by the end of this week (10/5).

Oh golly ... thank you so much for taking the time to watch my video and comment ... it really does mean everything to me and reinforces why I love sharing my journey on this crazy platform! Blessings for your own journey ... 🙏🙏🙏

Thanks! Kinda feels that way to me as well ... a game changer for sure!

@@credenza1 truly!

@@credenza1 feels borderline miraculous!

@@wvienneau9257 thank you so much! It’s a labor of love for sure! 🙏🙏🙏

@@irinbenz9645 thank you!!! 🙏🙏🙏

Thank you! Cheers!

@@RustybeatShorts Yippee! That is super exciting! We fired up mine today for the second time. We surpassed ^10 in 10 1/2 hours. Followed a modified version of Euan Craig’s firing schedule. Opening tomorrow … 🤞🙏💙

@@1aliveandwell there is a whole world of ways to use indigo that I have not explored. Endless inspiration! 🙏💙

how much lime and lime is needed to get good pH

@@manondube7697 It depends on the type of vat you're making, but a good starting point is Michel Garcia's "1-2-3" vat. 1 part indigo, 2 parts lime, 3 parts reduction material. An excellent resource for various kinds of vats is the book, The Art and Science of Natural Dyes. After my vat is established and has been used, I'll go with my intuitive approach to balancing the vat, and that just takes time to learn for yourself. Good luck!

Thank you!!! Hope it's helpful ... 🙏

Thanks so much! Hope it was helpful! 🙏

@@tendingahandmadelife I just bought a house in Rutherfordton NC. i have a traditional skutt kiln but I plan on and would love to build a wood fire kiln. I bought the booklet that you suggested and read thru it...thank you again. really helpful.

@@cavemandancer super cool! You’ll do well with the nice Skutt for bisque firings as I only have a teeny electric kiln that I use for metal clay. I just fired up my Philosophers kiln on Tuesday. It really wants to go fast and furious. We went 10 1/2 hours and got a bit carried away. We flattened ^10 and I’m not sure how hot it got, probably cone 12. It’s an excellent design. Good luck and thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! 🙏✨🌟💫

Thank you! Hope it proves helpful ... 🙏

Why thank you!!! 🙏🙏🙏

Thank you!

@@jasongannon7676 thanks! It’s a labor of love for sure and the design turned out to be a really good one. Simple, straightforward and easy to construct. Good luck and all the best on your own build… super exciting! 🙏🙏🙏

I’m so glad you enjoyed my video! And I totally understand. We live in one area, but our tribe is an hour away in a much more expensive town. It’s a challenge for sure. Best of luck, blessings and all good things! 🙏🙏🙏

🙏🙏🙏 Creative Paperclay, a.co/d/dMlZ967

@@tendingahandmadelife thank u

Thank you!

Thanks!

I hate that PMC no longer exists and have switched to ArtClay, not my favorite. I've been buying it on Amazon and paying about 1/3 less than the metal clay retailers. I haven't made any bracelets, just the pendants. Long ago, I wrapped beach glass with thin strips of metal clay and fired in place. Cool thing is the silver fumes the glass and changes the color. It is necessary to anneal the glass in the cooling, but it's a fun application. The fine silver bezel with a paperclay core would definitely work for a bracelet. Good luck!

@@tendingahandmadelifeI do miss PMC too!!!! Ugggh Tks.

Yep ... soldiering on!

Fine silver metal clay. It's fine silver powder in an organic binder that works like clay, is fired in a kiln where the binder burns out, leaving the pure silver fused together. It shrinks in the process, which makes this application tricky! cooltools.us/collections/silver-clay . The brand I use is ArtClay.

I just edited the content for the video with some cost updates, but I think I cover pretty much everything I spent in the text description. 🙏

@@tendingahandmadelife wonderful, apologies if I'd missed this. Excited to get started!

I totally forgot I had included all the costs ... silly me! Good luck!!!

So glad you found this helpful! It will be a few days before I have the time, but I will work on adding up my costs and let you know. 🙏

Silly me, just realized I did a follow-up video with all the specifics and costs of the build, th-cam.com/video/QAExibVRObc/w-d-xo.html . Hope this helps! Good luck!!!

@@tendingahandmadelife That is brilliant, thank you so much! Much appreciated. And glad you didn't have to do as much work to answer that for me!

Thanks for the info! The original plans called for using regular clay house bricks, but I was incredibly fortunate to be gifted enough hard and soft firebrick to complete the kiln with double walls for the whole chamber. The dampers are just at the base of the chimney. For the August firing, I’m going to slow it down, hopefully from an 8 hour firing to 10 or 12 hours with a reduction cooling at the end, per Euan Craig’s firing schedule. We’ll see! 🤞🙏

Thank you! That was the advice of my mentor as well. We just added another 3 rows of bricks and will see how it goes when we fire it up mid August. 🤞🙏

Congratulations on getting a working clay body! I’m enormously grateful that my source requires very little amending. I hand build everything, which gives me more leeway. I’m still dialing in ratios, but I’m thrilled with results thus far. Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment and share your journey … really appreciated! 🙏

Thanks so much! I’ve seen folks start with dry. I’m just so impatient and hate to wait for the clay to dry out. I might give that a try next time. Avoiding clumps would be a plus! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Very much appreciated! 🙏

Maybe just try a handful and see if you think it is worth it for a bigger batch. Cheers!

@@mr63dodge good idea. Thanks again!

My pleasure! 🙏🙏🙏

Glad you liked it! 🙏🙏🙏

🙏🙏🙏

Thank you! I’m not sure torch firing would fully sinter the metal clay. As I’m sort of production oriented and work in bigger quantities, I’ve never tried it. Also, the paperclay core and firing in 3D make it a challenge. Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment. Good luck! 😏🙏

Thank you! It was, start to finish, an incredibly satisfying process and I do love how the dress turned out! Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment.

Oh that's lovely! Thank you so much for watching my little video and taking the time to comment ...

???

It is a very nice pile and I have more to cut and split.

You’re quite welcome! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. It’s a pretty idyllic spot! I am a lucky maker for sure.

Excellent info, thank you! I went with the galvanized wire to start, figuring I would upgrade at some point. Will look into your suggestions. 🙏🙏🙏

Thank you! I had good directions, but a LOT of trial and error.

Oh golly, start with that one and the list of different pronunciations would go on for quite a ways. Just us Yanks messing with the language!

Thanks for the tip! I’ll do that for sure next time. I’m also thinking to try glazing over everything and refiring the pieces. Long ago when I started making pots, refiring wasn’t really done, but I figure what the heck … we’ll see.

Always experiment..... refiring can give great results..... sometimes..... if you want to reglaze already fired pots..... get them hot and the glaze really thick..... play, have fun, experiment!

Roger Wilco … Excellent advice!

Thank you so much! I keep my paste in the refrigerator for months and haven't had any issues. It's harder to gauge quantities, but as I rarely measure and do most things intuitively, it works for me. I have a series of videos on aqueous extraction of indigo that shows the whole process. Here's part 2, th-cam.com/video/7Khf9Y9_XY4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=tgC-IuD5DjuB2b_6. You might also want to check out a FaceBook forum, Indigo Pigment Extraction Methods. They're an amazing and diverse group, incredibly giving and always available with excellent answers and information. Good luck and thanks again for watching and taking the time to comment!

Thank you, I’ll try the refrigerator. I’m very familiar with aqueous extraction already, just not with keeping the pigment as a wet paste. The moment the aeration of the fermenting vat is finished, and the water suddenly goes a deep blue, is probably my favorite thing with making my own pigment, pure joy. Good luck with your projects this year, Thanks, Andrè

I’m with you … watching the pigment change to that deep blue is pure magic!

Oof, boy howdy do I know how you feel. Having the right space to build my kiln has been my biggest obstacle. Once I got to a property to build it, I was afraid the cost would squash my dream ... but miracles happened and my dream came true. Hold on and keep dreaming ... you'll get there!

Thank you!

Thanks so much! I had considered inviting potter friends to help, but wisely decided against it. I learned so much by the back and forth and ups and downs. Hoping to light her up again early to mid June and film it this time.

I just had a similar dream but of a soda kiln built it up and took it down 4 times before it was working great!

@@CruzQuinteroCeramics patience and perseverance pays! ✨🌟💫

Yes, it is the same. I bought the book for its compact size and binding and to use for making notes. Easier to cart around than a sheaf of loose paper. Thanks for watching and commenting. Good luck!